Is STG evil? I have no idea. But they've done a nice job of refurbishing and reimagining the Neptune. That rents are going up around it is no surprise. With all the new buildings going up along that stretch of 45th, I'm glad that this old building is safe from being knocked down (for now).

And I've seen some great shows there in the past year (Dinosaur Jr, Fishbone, Mark Lanegan, and others) all priced below $30, which is rare these days.

@1:

Did that $30 include STG's predatory multiple service charges?

Must be a very slow news day...

@2: I buy at the box office. I think the service charge is $1.

The U-district has a fair amount of available space, and STG put in a lot of time and money into the Neptune. This piece feels like it has a hidden agenda. If you're worried about the neighborhood, write a piece about the drug dealing by the Jack in the Box on 50th.

@2, you can buy tickets at the machine at the Paramount for a couple dollars.

Quick retaliation for going public.

Oh no! People will have to walk at least half a block to find another coffee joint in the U District!

well, well...not very often that you hear of an arts organization being at the helm of a cruel price-of-gentrification deal, is it?

This rough - I love STG and can't fault an arts org for making and/or taking deals that will further their programming and maintain a great space for the public. OTOH, they don't get to claim no responsibility for the fallout. Real businesses will be impacted (read: will likely go out of business) because of this, and I haven't heard anything to suggest that the building would have been sold or the spaces leased to another bidder had STG not stepped in. Ultimately the landlord is responsible for being less-than-honest to his longtime tenants, but that doesn't absolve STG of making the deal in the first place. They should just own it as an unfortunate consequence of their expansion. I think most people would forgive them.

Is the comics shop also getting the boot?

Ha! Way to have a public relations fuck up, STG. So much for controlling the narrative. Are they hiring a new PR person yet?

I guess I'll have to find my way around to going to Trabant one last time. But I'm not exactly sad to see it go, the last couple times I've gone, and I used to be a regular, the servers were pretty damn rude.

I like The Neptune and STG more than I give a shit about another fucking coffee shop. Sad to see the comic book store close though (if that's how this plays out). But honestly I haven't bought a comic book there since the '90s.

Lose of a sandwich shop: 5+ separate articles

Lose of a dive bar: 1 really long article

Lose of a coffee shop in an area filled with coffee shops: 2 separate articles.

Lose of black wealth in Seattle while white wealth is blooming:1 brief mention in "The Morning News"



....

Although I suspect that Ansel really does care, he's just not given the chance to cover it, as he's covered these issues really well in the past (Him and Charles seem to be the only ones who still cover any local race issues, although Ansel covers it as a reporter and Charles more as a op-ed).

13, 14 for the proverbial



win

@5--do you have any idea of the expense and logistical headaches of moving a business and preparing a new space? "plenty of space" nearby doesn't mean much. The owners of the other businesses put a lot of time and money into their current spaces, too. It's not like STG has any particular entitlement to those spaces--except money talks.

@16, I actually do know the expense and effort since I used to open coffee bars in Manhattan or a living. STG went out on limb for the Neptune and improved the neighborhood dramatically. They are not equivalent. I'm sorry STG wanted more space and a coffee shop has to move. STG is not evil for this, and restoring beautiful old theaters should give them the benefit of the doubt. Quit your crying, Francis, and just be honest about whatever your actual beef with STG is. That's my problem with this post.

This sort of thing goes on ALL THE TIME in both commercial and residential rentals; why is this news??? Is The Stranger going to start reporting every time someone renting a house gets a legal notice to vacate from the owner?

@13...

Try "loss" next time, please.

@17: Yeah, it was very nice that STG has turned it into a performing arts space, but can you offer proof that they have "dramatically" improved the neighborhood?

This is news. The expansion of large institutions (hospitals like Viginia Mason, schools like Cornish, companies like Vulcan) into areas that were once small business enclaves (THREE small businesses here, or isit four with that hot dog shop on the corner?) is a common one in Seattle for the past 10 years and it will only continue. For a large institution, "growth" is expected no matter what to increase return, but there is rarely consideration paid to whom that growth affects and if it benefits the city as a whole.

Sigh.



This is really sad.



For many years I really liked TC in the UDist.



But--I have to say, over the past few months, maybe even the past year or two:

-Quality of the food has gone down. Surprising, even w/ the kitchen upgrade ($25k? Really? and you didn't even know for sure if you had a long term lease in the bag or not? Wow.). Maybe it's because there wasn't much of it left in the evenings. But even when there was some of the good stuff left in the evenings, wasn't very good (choc chip cookies come to mind--pretty basic, hard to mess up). Was even surprised to see the had stuff there from *Costco*.

-Quality of the restrooms has gone down. They stopped utilizing Cintas/Sanis products or services? (Not sure who cleaned the restrooms.) Bummer--but it makes sense now, in light of the lease not being renewed.

[On a side note: Mgmt was generally tolerant of written self-expression on the walls, which I liked. They did communicate a message once, though (which is their right), that said, "Don't do drugs in our restrooms." WOW. Ever thought of putting a sharps bin in there? Pay an outside company to service that particular bin, don't make it the barista's (and effectively, the customer's) problem. The fact that mgmt had that kind of attitude speaks volumes with their disconnect from the reality of the University District, specifically near the Ave, NE 45th St, and the building's own alley way. Put some referrals/phone numbers/street addresses there for resources regarding drug cessation. Sheesh.]

-I guess the availability of alcohol there in recent years was a nice addition. Never got around to availing myself of the privilege. [Y'know, w/in the past year or so, I've seen lots of applications for some type of liquor license, and from really unexpected places too--Bluebird Ice Cream in Fremont? the University Bookstore?? I wonder if it's a sign businesses/owners are desparate . . . . ]

-The loss of computer terminals kinda sucked, once again--it's their right, but still . . . oh well . . . .

-Some of the art displays of late were cheesy (Nicholas Cage? Really??), but that's just me, I guess . . .



But no, it's not just another coffee shop gone with tons of available, suitable spaces for rent nearby. Some people really liked the coffee. Others liked the food. It was a good study spot for more others. Still yet others found the location incredibly convenient, especially with the east-bound bus stop merely feet away (recent Arctic Blast, anyone?).



Oh, that reminds me, the commercial tenants upstairs? How will they be affected? Are there residential tenants there too? Live/work spaces? How will they be impacted?



I also wonder if any of this has to do with the Link work of Sound Transit to/from Northgate . . .



/end rant

@1/4: In purchasing from the ticket machine or box office, you did not avoid the non-voluntary "facility fee", which ranges from $1.50 on every Neptune ticket to $3.75 on every Paramount ticket, on top of any other service charges.

That's a whole lot of money collected from you and me, money which STG apparently throws around on shady real estate grabs rather than on improving the actual experiential quality of their concert facilities.

Let's face it. The U. District is undergoing the same changes that other Seattle neighborhoods have already undergone. I don't know if "mallitization" is a word, but that's what's happening. All the quirky little records stores, bookstores and teriyaki places will soon be gone, along with any flavor the Ave had. Bland bland bland bland.